Running Head: RESPONSE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN CASE
Response to the Volkswagen Case
Lessie Wilkins
Liberty Christian University
RESPONSE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN CASE 1
Response to the Volkswagen Case
Organizations are charged with the responsibilities of enacting an ethical approach to
how they carry out their activities. Sometimes the need for success or barriers on the way may
make it hard for managers and employees to see the need for enacting ethics or carrying out their
business on the grounds of values[Ken15]. However, an ethical approach is imperative in any
setup and thus it is crucial to enact a code of ethics to guide all parties within the environment.
The case of Volkswagen presents key ethical questions such as the intention for enacting a
program that provides false information to the regulators about the levels of emissions and the
reason that the company took long to talk about the issue while it is expected to test and retest its
products before distributing it.
The Perspective of an Employee
During the administration of President Obama, the United States paid a lot of attention to
climate change and thus requesting the development with an eco-friendly system. The issue by
Volkswagen might have been a move to show the clients that the emission levels were low and
thus attaining a high market due to the availability of the vehicle. However, the scandal presents
an unethical scandal that questions the image of the automobile giant. The issue of Volkswagen
puts the engineers as the central cause of the act because they carried out the act[Pau15].
Therefore, whether they informed the lawyers or not, they violated ethical guidelines with their
unethical incentive to improve profits and compete in the automobile industry. However, this was
not the right move from the lawyers as they stimulated the sale of cars which did not match the
specification that was imprinted on them.
RESPONSE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN CASE 2
As an employee in the engineering department, I could have approached the manager and
explain my thoughts on the issue. It is wrong to present incorrect data about products and sell it
to the clients with this knowledge. In case the manager is unwilling to rectify the issue or to
come clean about the move by the engineers, I would approach the lawyers and explain what is
in the balance. The information can harm the brand image of the company and the lawyers as
long as the manager may lose their credibility. Therefore, I would request them to necessitate a
change in the program or to come forward and explain to the clients about these shortcomings
before distributing the cars. Finally, in case of the failure in the aforementioned incentives, I
would quit from my job to avoid being associated with such a vile act or simply make
adjustments in the designs if possible and offer a correct program without informing the other
employees. This move might be wrong, but it would stipulate making a decision for the greater
good. Alternatively, I could have informed the public about this program as a last resort and if it
stimulated some dangers to the general public and the clients.
The Perspective of the CEO in the Diesel Department
Following the presentation of the information to the public, the company may suffer a
decline in brand image and sales. Therefore, as the CEO in the diesel department, I would first
aim to correct the mistakes conducted by offering to correct the programs for all people who had
purchased the cars with this program. This move might require a lot of finances, but it might
move a long way towards reassuring the public that the company is willing to look after their
needs rather than the company’s motives. Therefore, the diesel department would repair the cars
and try to fix the damaged brand image.
I would also request for a change in the lawyers if they gave the engineers the green light
to carry on with the development of a program that offered false information to the clients. This
RESPONSE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN CASE 3
move would aim to regain the trust of the public and thus cutting off the people who led to the
damage of the image and lose in trust. In case the engineers were requested not to carry on with
the act, I would replace them rather than firing the lawyers. However, the key step would be
implementing a code of ethics to drive the manufacturing process and drive the employees.
Therefore, following the display of the issue to the public, I would require the employees
responsible or the people involved in the act to compensate for their acts. This might
imperatively prevent the occurrence of such an act in the future. Whether the lawyers, managers,
and the employees knew about this vile act shows a great rebellious act which does not put the
clients first and thus all parties involved should suffer some financial consequences to avoid a
repetition of such an act.
Sometimes people act in unethical manners due to the situation. They may be driven by
the need to improve their profits, satisfy their clients, or maybe the unethical way is the easier
way to be efficient[Ken15]. However, it is critical to have guidelines that guide the operations of
any company. Volkswagen is a major automobile company which precedes its close competitor
General Motors. However, the move to manipulate the program in the diesel emissions can
reduce its credibility and offer its competitors an added advantage due to their ethical approaches
and continuous development of products that meet the clients’ needs while remaining true.
Therefore, as the CEO I would come forward and admit the mistakes in the engineering
department. I would further request the public to forgive the company and give it another chance
to rectify these mistakes. Ultimately, I would necessitate the development of an updated code of
ethics in this department to prevent such an occurrence.
RESPONSE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN CASE 4
Conclusion
Ethics insists on taking into considerations the needs of others and respecting them. The
act by Volkswagen merely advocated for the needs of the company rather than trying to offer
quality services to the clients. The management should entail numerous processes to ensure that
the products are up to the specifications and they do not outline any faulty feature. It is
imperative to test and retest rather than stating that the management was unaware of such
manipulative features in the car.
RESPONSE TO THE VOLKSWAGEN CASE 5
References
Lippe, P. (2015, October 13). Volkswagen: Where were the lawyers? Retrieved from Legal
rebels:
http://www.abajournal.com/legalrebels/article/volkswagen_where_were_the_lawyers/
Pope, K. S. (2015). Steps to Strengthen Ethics in Organizations: Research Findings, Ethics
Placebos, and What Works. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 16(2), 139-152.
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